Remote workers unite! ... Separately!

After 25 years in the industry as a software dev / manager and various other roles I decided it was time to just do the actual hands-on stuff that I enjoy. I became a consultant, with 100% remote being a requirement.

I've worked that way for soon three years now, and I've never been more productive whilst at the same time enjoying what I do than now.

I'm based in Sweden, where 100% remote is still somewhat unusual. Most workplaces embrace some form of hybrid but it still means 1-2 days at an office which limits the pool of workers to those living within reasonable commuting distance. For this to change we need to be able to show how things can work well without that office time, which I feel puts some pressure on us that are already fully remote.

Anyway; here's how I've handled it:

1. Separate room and/or building for the home office. This is an absolute requirement - both for your focus when working but also to be able to "leave work".

2. You cannot overspend on suitable office furniture. Get the best ergonomic chair, keyboard etc. You want to enjoy working.

3. Overperform. Yeah, maybe not the most fun to hear but imagine being your employer. If things are less than perfect the person that's remote will be terminated before others. You're the one not having to go into the office, so evenings and weekends you might want to be the first one to raise your hand.

4. Make yourself seen. Even though others might turn the cameras off when in a videoconf, you'll want to have yours on. The others need to "know you" as they know the other colleagues they see in the office.

5. For the love of Brian - DON'T get any idiotic ideas about "more than one job" or trying to do things "on the side". You wanted remote working - don't screw it up.

6. Be extremely transparent in your communication. Humans communicate much more via body language, tone of voice etc than just via text. Explain what you're working on, what your thoughts are, how you're thinking about approaching a problem etc. Not just for your colleagues, but for your manager as well. Write a weekly report even if unprompted. Remember, you don't want "wonder what they're doing?" thoughts popping up just because they can't see you.

Ask away.

This post is merely a placeholder so you can see this community is a real place. You didn't stumble into a corner that doesn't exist. There's just not much here yet.

Give it a little time, and consider putting in some words of your own.

See you around!

I've been 100% WFH for a super long time, and it recently came up that a few people would like to hear what I know about it. So here that is. May not apply to people who do field work, but it might.

• You need an actual office space at home

Working at the kitchen counter is doable for a short period of time, or as a change of scenery on occasion, but if you're doing desk work at home, you will be happier with a proper space distinct from your living area. Preferably with a door that closes and locks.

The first reason for this is that it will help you to maintain differentiation between "work" and "home", because your work will probably have expectations that you're "always on" and your housemates (family or not) will think you can just drop everything to do whatever task or chore they present after barging through the aforementioned door.

The second reason is that, in the US, you can deduct for home office space if you only use that space for work. It's not a lot, but it's something.

• You need proper "office stuff"

A decent desk, a good chair, whatever keyboard and pointing device you prefer most, noise cancelling headset, good monitor(s). Spend the money on these things; it's well worth it.

• Do get up from your desk often

Your back and legs and eyes and mind will thank you. Deep vein thrombosis is no joke.

• Don't work outside your regular working hours

This one is really important. Obviously, different jobs have different demands and requirements, but do your best to ignore calls to "do work" outside of your regular hours unless it's a legit emergency or scheduled in an agreeable fashion. You've recovered your commuting time; don't just give it back to the company.

• Change it up

If it makes sense to do so, pick up and work from the kitchen countertop once in a while. Go spend some work time at a coffee shop. Just being around people is a necessary part of being a functional human.

• Your social skills may degrade

If you had any to begin with, of course. You can maintain these by being extra chatty with cashiers, people running garage sales, random people you pass by in the store.

• Force yourself to leave the house

Another really big one. This goes double if you're in a household where someone else does a lot of the shopping. Between that and the "delivery culture", it's real easy to go "Shit ... when was the last time I was even outside?" Very very important in the winter, because then it becomes "When was the last time I saw actual sunlight?"

• Keep your space tidy

Especially if it's behind a closed door, it's easy to let tidiness slide, because who else sees it anyway? (This is one I need to do better with for sure.)

• Communicate very clearly

Communication between people who are remote from each other at work is definitely a skill. You have to dance between being explicit enough that the other person(s) understand exactly what you want them to while not coming off as condescending. I'll "bookend" those kinds of things with a "You probably know all this already, but it demands being said just so we all know that we all know" before and after the message. I'm also aware that different cultures approach communication differently. Some of the people I work with are in Germany, and they can be very dry and "just the facts". You may need to adjust your communications based on who you're talking to. On a related note, give other people the benefit of the doubt when they are communicating "less efficiently" with you. You might need to reword what they're saying back to them to make sure that you understand. This is another one of those place where it can appear condescending; bookend that with a "I'm just making sure I understand you" thing.

I have made (or am currently making) mistakes with every single one of these points. I'm sure there are more I'll think of later.